The horizontal line represents the person’s life.1720 - born1780 - “Memoirs”1770 - “Memoirs”1761 - “Toland’s Life of Milton”1774 - died

Hollis, Thomas

, esq. of Corscombe in Dorsetshire;
a gentleman whose “Memoirs.” have been printed in two
splendid volumes, 4to, 1780, with a considerable number
of plates by Bartolozzi, Basire, and other engravers of
eminence, and an admirable profile of himself in the frontispiece, was born in London, April 14, 1720; and sent
to school, first at Newport in Shropshire, and afterwards
at St. Alban’s. At 14, he was sent to Amsterdam, to
learn the Dutch and French languages, writing, and accompts; stayed there about fifteen months, and then returned to his father, with whom he continued till his death
in 1735. To give him a liberal education, suitable to the
ample fortune he was to inherit, his guardian put him
under the tuition of professor Ward, whose picture Mr.
Hollis presented to the British Museum; and, in honour
of his father and guardian, he caused to be inscribed
round a valuable diamond ring, Mnemosynon patris tutorisque. He professed himself a dissenter; and from Dr. Foster and others of that persuasion, imbibed that ardent love
of liberty, and freedom of sentiment, which strongly
marked his character. In Feb. 1739-40, he took chambers in Lincoln’s-Inn, and was admitted a law-student;
but does not appear ever to have applied to the law, as a
profession. He resided there till July 1748, when he set
out on his travels for the first time; and passed through
Holland, Austrian and French Flanders, part of France,
Switzerland, Savoy, and part of Italy, returning through
Provence, Britanny, &c. to Paris. His fellow-traveller
was Thomas Brand, esq. of the Hyde in Essex, who was
his particular friend, and afterwards his heir. His second tour commenced in July 16, 1750; and extended
through Holland to Embden, Bremen, Hamburg, the principal cities on the north and east side of Germany, the rest
of Italy, Sicily, and Malta, Lorrain, &c. The journals of
both his tours are said to be preserved in manuscript.

On his return home, he attempted to get into
|
parliarnent; but, not being able to effect this without some
small appearance of bribery, he turned his thoughts entirely to other objects. He began a collection of books
and medals; “for the purpose,” it is said, “of illustrating and upholding liberty, preserving the memory of its
champions, rendering tyranny and its abettors odious, extending art and science, and keeping alive the honour due
to their patrons and protectors.” Among his benefactions
to foreign libraries, none is more remarkable than that of
two large collections of valuable books to the public library
of Berne; which were presented anonymously as by “an
Englishman, a lover of liberty, his country, and its excellent constitution, as restored at the happy Revolution.”
Switzerland, Geneva, Venice, Leyden, Sweden, Russia, &c.
shared his favours. His benefactions to Harvard-college
commenced in 1758, and were continued to the amount of
1400l. His liberality to individuals, as well as to public
societies, are amply detailed in the “Memoirs” abovementioned. In Aug. 1770, he carried into execution a
plan, which he had formed five years before, of retiring
into Dorsetshire; and there, in a field near his residence
at Corscombe, dropped down and died of an apoplexy, on
New-year’s-day, 1774. The character of this singular
person was given, some time before, in one of the public
prints, in the following, somewhat extravagant terms.
“Thomas Hollis is a man possessed of a large fortune:
above half of which he devotes to charities, to the encouragement of genius, and to the support and defence of
liberty. His studious hours are devoted to the search of
noble authors, hidden by the rust of time; and to do their
virtues justice, by brightening their actions for the review
of the public. Wherever he meets the man of letters, he
is sure to assist him: and, were I to describe in paint this
illustrious citizen of the world, I would depict him leading
by the hands Genius and distressed Virtue to the temple of
Resvard.”

If Mr. Hollis had any relations, his private affections
were not as eminent as his public spirit, for he left the
whole of his fortune to his friend T. Brand, esq. who, on
that account, took the name of Hollis, and was as violent a
2ealot for liberty as his patron, although less pure in his
practice. In 1764, Mr. HolSis sent to Sidney-college,
Cambridge, where Cromwell was educated, an original
portrait of him by Cooper; and, a fire happening at his
| lodgings in Bed ford -street, in 1761, he calmly walked out,
taking an original picture of Milton only in his hand. A
new edition of “Toland’s Life of Milton” was published
under his direction, in 1761; and, in 1763, he gave a’n
accurate edition of “Algernon Sydney’s Discourses on
Government,” on which the pains and expence he bestowed are almost incredible. He meditated also an edition of Andrew Marvell; but did not complete it. In
order to preserve the memory of those patriotic heroes
whom he most admired, he called many of the farms and
fields in his estate at Corscombe by their names; and, in
the middle of one of these fields, not far from his house,
he ordered his corpse to be deposited in a grave ten feet
deep, and the field to be immediately ploughed over, that
no trace of his burial place might remain. His religious
principles have been suspected, as he joined no denomination of Christians. Another of his singularities was, to
observe his nominal birth-day always, without any regard
to the change of style. He never took it amiss that he was
charged with singularities; he owned that he affected
them: “the idea of singularity,” says he, “by way of
shield, I try by all means to hold out,” and in this way
got rid of those who would otherwise break in upon his
time, customs, and way of living. Mr. Brand Hollis, his
heir, died in Sept. 1804, and bequeathed his estates in,
Dorsetshire and Essex to his friend Dr. Disney. This
Brand Hollis did not exactly inherit the independent principles of his benefactor; for whereas Mr. Hollis would not
accept of a seat in parliament, for fear of being led into
corrupt practices, Mr. Brand had no scruple to apply his
fortune to acquire a seat for Hindon, and was convicted of
the most scandalous bribery, and imprisoned in the King’s
Bench. It is not unuseful t know of what stuff clamorous
patriots are made. 1

1

Memoirs as above. —Gent. Mag.LXXIV. Dr. Disney has lately printed,
but not published, a Memoir of Mr. Brand Hollis.

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